A fun fact, something I’ve noticed more recently, I use Ryan’s birthday as our birth date for Thrill of the Hunt. Really? Yes, not the year, but I always claim September 24, 2012 as the beginning of Thrill of the Hunt. To be honest, it was September of 2012 that we sold our very first private scavenger hunt. I could probably find out the true date, but in all reality which date do I credit? When we received our first proposal, the approval for the quote, or when the scavenger hunt took place? We also held our very first public scavenger hunt on September 22nd of that year. In fact, I believe our corporate paperwork went through in 2011, not that we did anything with the company until later. September became our breakout month. So yes, Ryan and Thrill of the Hunt share the same date of birth. It’s my way of including Ryan in our adventures.

To be honest, I got the idea from another event. This might be silly, but the town of Forks, Washington, holds September 13th as Stephenie Meyer day, actually, they call it “Forever twilight in Forks.” You know the lady who brought Twilight to the masses and brought a little unknown town to the world. In the book, September 13th is Bella’s, the main character’s, birthday. In honor of Stephenie Meyer, the town holds this day, and the days surrounding it, as a time of celebration and to pay homage for everything the author did to their dying town. I liked that idea, and wanted to include Ryan in on Thrill of the Hunt in a subtle way, besides Kyle’s involvement in the company.

I’ve had some ask me if Kyle knows who Ryan is? Yes he does. But Ryan, his dad, doesn’t mean the same to Kyle as Ryan meant to us. It’s a shame, considering between Kyle’s birth and nearly three months, Ryan already showed traits of being a stellar dad. Perhaps down the road, Kyle will feel a connection with Ryan, maybe one unique to them. I hope so. I’d like to think Ryan’s always with Kyle, and Ryan’s looking out for our little teenager.

Happy birthday little brother, you’re still remembered and in our hearts, always. One day we’ll run through the woods together again, this time no mosquitos!